Energy Stories
The evidence is pretty overwhelming: We humans are damaging the surface of the earth, from the bottom of the oceans to the upper atmosphere, and everything in between.
As we destroy the habitat for other species, how long will it be before this precious planet becomes inhabitable even for us? How can we live again in harmony with the rest of nature of which we are an integral part, and on which our very lives depend?
As we destroy the habitat for other species, how long will it be before this precious planet becomes inhabitable even for us? How can we live again in harmony with the rest of nature of which we are an integral part, and on which our very lives depend?
I came up with the title "Energy Stories" years ago when I started thinking of ways to reduce our use of fossil fuels. Of course, the oil and gas we pump out of the ground is also used to make plastics, pharmaceuticals, and many other products that, when we discard them, are literally throwing nature out of balance. So, it's not just CO2. I was inspired by a video "The Story of Stuff" which came out back in 2009.
In The Story of Stuff, there is plenty of blame to go around. The bad guys are the corporations, the government officials, and so on. But I have a problem with that. I want to move beyond blame. We're all in this together, after all, and I think we actually have more power to change things than we think we do. We can shift our emphasis on what we value: More things, or more love? (Anyway, those big organizations [corporations and big government] are showing more signs of decline as time goes on. The abuse of power keeps making headlines and I think we're starting to get the picture.) I also want to admit that concentrating on statistics and facts about huge numbers may be enough to scare us, but also can lead to hopelessness and despondency. Instead, let's focus on what we can do, as individuals and in small groups, to engage in the perhaps difficult but also rewarding work of changing how we live. Instead of sacrifice and loss, we might just find that we end up with a better life than when we started! |